In whole blood, such as human whole blood, various proteins, cells, and other components are carried. For example, whole blood includes a plasma fraction which carries a plurality of components such as the red blood cells, erythrocytes, white blood cells or leukocytes, and other components such as platelets. A whole blood sample may include a plurality of clotting factors, such as thrombin. The whole blood sample includes the clotting factors that can form a clot to heal a lesion or other opening.
For various reasons, it may be selected to provide a concentration of the clotting factors, such as thrombin, at a particular location. For example, during a surgical procedure, such as an orthopedic surgical procedure, it may be selected to provide a concentration of the clotting factors relative to the incision site, the implantation site, or the repair site. The clotting factors may assist in healing the incisions in the tissue to reach the injured sites and may assist the body in healing after implantation or augmentation of a selected system.
The clotting components may either be autologous, homologous, or heterologous. For example, it is known to extract bovine thrombin to be used as a clotting factor when performing a procedure on a human. Further, it may be possible to obtain clotting factors from a homologous source, such as a donor human. Nevertheless, it is desirable to have a method and apparatus to use an autologous source to assist in reducing the possibility of rejection or other side effects from using a non-autologous source for providing a clotting factor.